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India vs South Africa toss - (Source: X.com)
On Sunday, February 22, India locked horns against South Africa in their first T20 World Cup Super 8 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It is the first match of group A and both teams are looking to start the round with a win.
Suryakumar Yadav and Aiden Markram walked down the centre for the toss and the luck favoured South Africa as they opted to bat first, asking India to field for the first time in this World Cup.
Talking about the team changes, the Men in Blue have named an unchanged XI. Washington Sundar gets a chance ahead of Axar Patel, who was rested in the last match. For South Africa, they made four changes to their playing XI.
India vs South Africa Super 8: Playing XIs
South Africa Playing XI: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
India vs South Africa Super 8: Captains Thought
Aiden Markram (South Africa Captain): "[Decision on the toss] Yeah, we are going to bat first. Looks a really good wicket, a lot drier than what we have come across here. We expect it to be a good wicket throughout and hopefully, we can put a nice big total on the board.
"[On the form of his team] The boys are looking in good touch. It is always good to have boys in form. By no means are we are taking it for granted. But it is a good place to be at, boys are putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes."
Suryakumar Yadav (India Captain): "Ah... We were also looking to bat first. But it is okay. We played here 2-3 days back. When they were bowling first, there was a little bit in the wicket. So, why not take that advantage?
"Absolutely! It is a big game. It is a good occasion for everyone to come up and show their character. It is a full house tonight hopefully and we have got some game for them."
Why Has Washington Sundar Been Picked Over Axar Patel?
During the toss, Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that benching Axar Patel was purely a tactical choice. Now, the reason behind this is the presence of left-handed batters in Proteas' team. For the unversed, South Africa have Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, David Miller and also Marco Jansen, who can bat.
Therefore, India required a right-arm spinner and Washington Sundar can fulfil that role for the Men in Blue. Talking about Washi, he made his T20 World Cup debut against Netherlands which didn't go as planned. Sundar registered the figures of 0/36 in his four overs.
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